It looks like this.
I was loving it, pausing to stroke and admire it every few rows. I was a happy swatcher, which was nice, because the night before, I hadn't been so happy. Remember I said I was going to swatch for the Gathered Pullover? I swatched with my beautiful red Drops Alpaca and was really quite unsure of the results.
It looks like this.
It looks better than it did before I washed it. Unwashed/blocked, it looked a lot more uneven and lumpy than that but it's a fairly open fabric. The Gathered Pullover is knit on larger needles than you'd think you might use for 5ply yarn like this alpaca (or alpacky, as someone we all know is fond of saying). A lot of ravelry reading on the thread devoted to this garment (17 pages!!) revealed that gauge was a bit of a sticking point for some.
And the thing is, I'm not really a large gauge kinda gal. I like my stitches neat, small and tight. I make allowances for lace, but even then, I err on the side of small.
So I have to think about the Gathered Pullover and the Drops Alpaca before I decide if it's really a match made in heaven. I wonder if straight alpaca might not have enough structure to it to really make the Gathered Pullover really sing?
So this is why I moved onto the blue Nico last night. It was calling my name and I started thinking about the Sitcom Chic cardigan I tried making earlier in the year but couldn't get the right weight cotton to make it.
Then, I had a thought. If I were to make the blue Sitcom Chic some time soon, that would be odd. Can any observant readers figure out why? Think about it.
In June I made the dark blue cutaway cardigan.
In July I made the light blue eyelet cardigan for my sister.
Now I think of making the mid blue cotton cardigan.
Huh?
As my lovely nephew is fond of saying, 'That's crazy talk!'
Three cardigans back to back is one thing. Three blue cardigans? In the space of three months? Definitely Crazy Talk.
I'll do something else first. If only I knew what. Maybe finish one of my countless WIPs? Now there's a novel idea.
Lastly, if you're up for a bit of music nostalgia, check out Button Beauty, where Jess is having a contest.
To qualify, you simply have to travel back in time and remember your first music purchase and first concert. I've been reading all the entries and drowning in nostalgia. Check it out! As a recipient of a previous prize from Jess, I can guarantee they're worth it.
For the record, my first album was a cassette, in 1983 when I was 11 - Women of Rock. A compilation featuring Joan Jett, Kate Bush and heaven only knows who else. My first concert was (I'm cringing here) Amy Grant at Bruce Stadium here in Canberra in 1989. I was 17 and very much in the midst of my happy, clappy Christian years. I still kinda like her, in a nostalgic sort of way, not that I ever actually listen to her!
Bells
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